Recent US military simulation contracts

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Lockheed Martin Corp. has just won a US Air Force contract potentially worth $2 billion over 10 years for an advanced communications system linking and upgrading air-operations centers worldwide. Unsuccessful contenders were Northrop Grumman Corp. and General Dynamics Corp. As a result “Northrop Grumman had said last month that winning the contract would have generated about 200 jobs in Brevard County and another 500 at an operation in eastern Virginia.” Not all in simulation, of course.

However, Northrop Grumman has just been awarded a $110 million contract to support the U.S. Armys Battle Command Training Branch (BCTB) programme which “provides world-class training and battle simulation services”, so all is not quite lost.

Another report describes the USAFs Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC). as “the largest and most advanced complex of flight simulation test facilities in the world. The center includes 58 aerodynamic and propulsion wind tunnels, rocket and turbine engine test cells, space environmental chambers, arc heaters, ballistic ranges, and other specialized units worth more than $7.8 billion ” (A $2.7 billion over 12 years contract to support it has just been awarded to a group led by ATA.)

At the smaller end of the scale, the USAF has just awarded a $13m contract to Data Research and Analysis Corp., “for advisory and assistance modeling and simulation services.”